Triboelectric energy harvesting with pipe-in-pipe structure

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes an outer structure body having a cavity and an inner structure body rotatably supported within the cavity. The inner structure body has a central bore. Movable elements are positioned along the inner surface and movably coupled to the outer structure body. Ball elements are positioned along the outer surface and coupled to the inner structure body for movement with the inner structure body. The ball elements are positioned to releasably contact and impart motion to the movable elements in response to relative motion between the inner structure body and the outer structure body. A plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters are positioned to generate electrical charges when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.

FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to methods, apparatus, and systems for monitoring conditions in downhole drilling environments.

BACKGROUND

To produce hydrocarbons from a subsurface reservoir, one or more wellbores that penetrate the subsurface reservoir typically have to be formed. A wellbore is formed by cutting through rock formations in the subsurface using a drill bit at a bottom end of a drill string. Drilling of the wellbore typically involves pumping drilling fluid down the drill string from the surface while rotating the drill string from the surface, where the drilling fluid (or mud) exits the drill bit into the bottom of the wellbore and then flows up an annulus between the drill string and the wellbore to the surface. The hydrocarbon reservoir may be several thousand feet into the subsurface. Since drillers are unable to see the trajectory of the wellbore being drilled and the downhole environment, surveying and logging tools, such as wireline and measurement-while-drilling (MWD)/logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools, play a critical role during the drilling process.

Wireline and MWD/LWD tools acquire data that are representative of the downhole condition of the well. Drillers at the surface can use these data to make effective and timely decisions. In wireline operations, the wireline sensors and instrumentation are powered through a wired power line that extends from a power source at the surface to the depth in the well at which measurements are to be made. However, since the drill string has to be pulled out of the wellbore before running the wireline tool into the wellbore, downhole logging data cannot be obtained while drilling. Unlike wireline tools, MWD/LWD tools are integrated into the drill string and can obtain real-time data while drilling and transmit this data to the surface by mud pulse telemetry or other wellbore telemetry system, such as electromagnetic telemetry system or acoustic telemetry system.

MWD/LWD tools are powered by non-rechargeable, one-time use, disposable lithium thionyl chloride battery packs. If the battery packs are exposed to temperatures in excess of 180° C., the lithium metal in the battery packs will melt, which may cause a violent, accelerated reaction and explosion that is large enough to create a hole through the pressure housing of the tool and damage the tool. Since temperatures downhole can exceed 180° C., the possibility of exploding batteries and tool is real. Batteries are also expensive, discharge over time—a process that is accelerated by high temperatures—require maintenance or replacement, and have the added cost of safe disposal due to the chemicals they contain.

Power consuming parts of MWD/LWD tools, such as data acquisition and transmission of this data to the surface, may be powered by turbines that harness the kinetic energy of a fluid to generate electricity. The power generated by the turbines is proportional to the flow rate of the drilling fluid. Thus, any event that reduces the speed of flow in the drill string, such as heavy drilling fluids pumped down the drill string or lost circulation material in the drill string, reduces the power generated by the turbines. Events such as lost circulation material in the drill string may even block the flow pathway through the turbines, leading to zero power generation.

SUMMARY

An apparatus includes an outer structure body having an inner surface defining a cavity and an inner structure body rotatably supported within the cavity. The inner structure body has an outer surface and a central bore. The outer surface is in opposing relation to the inner surface. The apparatus includes a plurality of movable elements positioned along the inner surface and movably coupled to the outer structure body. The apparatus includes a plurality of ball elements positioned along the outer surface and coupled to the inner structure body for movement with the inner structure body. The ball elements are positioned to releasably contact the movable elements and impart motion to the movable elements in response to relative motion between the inner structure body and the outer structure body. The apparatus includes a plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters positioned to generate electrical charges by triboelectric effect when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.

The ball elements may be positioned to support rotation of the inner structure body relative to the outer structure body. A plurality of grooves may be formed in the outer structure body. The grooves may have openings on the first surface. The movable elements may be movably disposed in the grooves. At least one guide channel may be formed in the outer structure body to receive the ball elements and guide movement of the ball elements. At least some of the grooves may intersect the at least one guide channel to enable the ball elements to releasably contact the movable elements. The outer surface of the inner structure body may include a first outer surface portion, a second outer surface portion in opposed relation to the first outer surface portion, and a third outer surface portion connecting the first outer surface portion to the second outer surface portion. The ball elements may be distributed among at least two of the outer surface portions. The apparatus may include a capacitor-based energy storage to store the electrical charges. The apparatus may include one or more sensors to be powered by the energy storage. The apparatus may include one or more communication devices for transmitting and receiving signals. The energy storage, sensor(s) and communication device(s) may be carried by the outer structure body.

In one case, the plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters include a plurality of first energy harvesting elements formed of a first material and a plurality of second energy harvesting elements formed of a second material. The first material and the second material have opposed electron affinities. The first energy harvesting elements are coupled to the ball elements. The second energy harvesting elements are coupled to the movable elements. The first energy harvesting elements contact and slide against the second energy harvesting elements when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements. The movable elements may have convex surfaces for contact with the ball elements. To provide the first energy harvesting elements, the ball elements may be constructed from the first material, or the first material may be applied as a coating on the ball elements. To provide the second energy harvesting elements, the movable elements may be constructed from the second material, or the second material may be applied as a coating on at least the convex surfaces of the movable elements. A plurality of grooves may be formed in the outer structure body. The grooves may have openings on the first surface, and the movable elements may be movably disposed in the grooves. Spring elements may be disposed within the grooves and arranged to apply a biasing force to the movable elements in a direction towards the inner structure body.

In another case, the plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters include a plurality of first energy harvesting elements each formed of a periodic array of a first material and a second material and a plurality of second energy harvesting elements each formed of a periodic array of the first material and the second material. The first material and the second material have opposed electron affinities. The first energy harvesting elements are coupled to the outer structure body. The second energy harvesting elements are coupled to the movable elements and positioned to be in sliding contact with the first energy harvesting elements when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements. A plurality of grooves may be formed in the outer structure body. The grooves may have openings on the first surface. The movable elements may be movably disposed in the grooves. A side wall of each groove may be adjacent to a side surface of the movable element disposed in the groove. The first energy harvesting elements may be disposed on the side walls of the grooves. The second energy harvesting elements may be disposed on the side surfaces of the movable elements. Springs may be positioned in the grooves to return the movable elements to a home position after contact between the ball elements and movable elements is released. The movable elements may include stems terminating in curved ends. The second energy harvesting elements may be disposed on the stems. The curved ends may have convex shapes.

In yet another case, the plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters include a plurality of first energy harvesting elements formed of a first material and a plurality of second energy harvesting elements formed of a second material. The first material and the second material have opposed electron affinities. The first energy harvesting elements and the second energy harvesting elements are positioned to be separated by gaps that close when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements. A plurality of grooves may be formed in the outer structure body. The grooves may have openings on the first surface. The movable elements may be movably disposed in the grooves. An end wall of each groove may be in opposed relation to an end surface of the movable element disposed in the groove. The first energy harvesting elements may be coupled to the end walls of the grooves. The second energy harvesting elements may be coupled to the end surfaces of the movable elements and positioned to contact the first energy harvesting elements when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements. Springs may be positioned in the grooves to return the movable elements to a home position after contact between the ball elements and the movable elements is released.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary of the invention and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operation of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The following is a description of the figures in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some of these elements may be arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn are not necessarily intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-powered sensing module (SPSM).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the SPSM of FIG. 1 attached to a crossover sub.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a drilling system and multiple SPSMs placed along a drill string.

FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway view of one implementation of the SPSM with triboelectric energy harvesters.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the SPSM of FIG. 4 along line 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a top end view of the SPSM of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 7A-7D show cross-sections of the SPSM of FIG. 4 at different rotational states, taken generally along curved line 7A-7A in FIG. 6, with the curved cross-section flattened out for ease of illustration.

FIG. 8 is a partial cutaway view of a variation of the SPSM of FIG. 4 with energy harvesting ball elements in guide channels.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of the SPSM of FIG. 8 along line 9-9.

FIGS. 10A-10C show cross-sections of the SPSM of FIG. 8 at different rotational states, taken generally along curved line 10A-10A in FIG. 9, with the curved cross-section flattened out for ease of illustration.

FIG. 11 shows a partial cutaway view of a variation of the SPSM of FIG. 4 with additional placement of energy harvesting ball elements and movable elements.

FIG. 12 is a partial cutaway view of another implementation of the SPSM of FIG. 1 with triboelectric energy harvesters.

FIGS. 13A-13C show cross-sections of the SPSM of FIG. 12 at different rotational states, taken generally along a curved line similar to 10A-10A in FIG. 9, with the curved cross-section flattened out for ease of illustration.

FIG. 14 is a partial cutaway view of another implementation of the SPSM of FIG. 1 with triboelectric energy harvesters.

FIG. 14A is a cross-section showing a configuration of shapes of energy harvesting elements (EHEs) positioned in sliding contact between a groove and a movable element.

FIG. 14B is a cross-section showing a configuration of shapes of EHEs positioned in sliding contact between a groove and a movable element.

FIGS. 15A-15C show cross-sections of the SPSM of FIG. 14 at different rotational states, taken generally along a curved line similar to 10A-10A in FIG. 9, with the curved cross-section flattened out for ease of illustration.

FIG. 16 is a partial cutaway view of another implementation of the SPSM of FIG. 1 with piezoelectric energy harvesters.

FIGS. 17A-17C show cross-sections of the SPSM of FIG. 16 at different rotational states, taken generally along a curved line similar to 10A-10A in FIG. 9, with the curved cross-section flattened out for ease of illustration.

FIG. 18 is a partial cutaway view of another implementation of the SPSM of FIG. 1 with piezoelectric energy harvesters.

FIGS. 19A-19C show cross-sections of the SPSM of FIG. 18 at different rotational states, taken generally along a curved line similar to 10A-10A in FIG. 9, with the curved cross-section flattened out for ease of illustration.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a SPSM system.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a drilling system showing injection of memory capsules into a well to gather data from SPSMs on a drill string.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of an example memory capsule.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this detailed description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments and implementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments and implementations may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well known features or processes associated with drilling environments have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments and implementations. For the sake of continuity, and in the interest of conciseness, the same or similar reference characters may be used for the same or similar objects in multiple figures.

Embodiments of a self-powered sensing module (SPSM) are described. The SPSM is capable of exploiting the rotation of a drill string during drilling of a wellbore and harvesting resulting energies to generate electricity to power downhole sensors and instrumentation. As a result, the SPSM is able to acquire information about the surrounding geological formations and directional data of the wellbore during drilling. The SPSM provides advantages over current downhole power generation methods such as batteries and turbines with respect to size, cost, mobility, temperature and pressure tolerance, and potential downhole applications. The design of the SPSM takes into account current challenges of automation and digitization in drilling and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) since, for example, the current battery technology cannot power the industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT) at scale. Since the SPSM is self-powered, multiple SPSMs can be placed along the length of the drill string for distributed sensing of downhole parameters while drilling. By deploying multiple SPSMs along the drill string, a real-time profile of the wellbore can be obtained during the drilling process. Such real-time data profiles will enable drilling operations to take advantage of emerging technologies aligned with the 4IR, such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence, to transform these data into high-value, actionable insights.

FIG. 1 shows SPSM 100 for downhole drilling environments. Various implementations of SPSM 100 are shown in FIGS. 4, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 18. FIG. 2 shows that SPSM 100 may be attached to a crossover sub 110, which has a central bore 112 for passage of fluids and tools and threaded end connections 114, 116 that would allow SPSM 100 to be placed along a drill string by simply making up threaded connections with drill pipes in the drill string. Crossover sub 110 is shown with threaded end connection 114 as a box-type connection and threaded end connection 116 as a pin-type connection. However, SPSM 100 is not limited to this type of crossover sub. Other crossover subs with box-type connections at both ends or with pin-type connections at both ends may be used with SPSM 100. In the example shown in FIG. 2, SPSM 100 is shown on the outside of crossover sub 110. An alternative is to mount SPSM 100 inside a crossover sub.

For illustration purposes, FIG. 3 shows multiple SPSMs 100 placed along a drill string 120 to allow distributed sensing of downhole parameters while drilling. Drill string 120 is suspended in a wellbore 122 from a derrick 124. Drill string 120 includes a drill bit 126 to cut rock formations and drill pipes 128 connected to form a conduit. Drill pipes 128 can interface with the crossover subs (110 in FIG. 2) attached to SPSMs 100. Drill string 120 may have several other tools not specifically mentioned but known in the art. Drill string 120 may be rotated within wellbore 122 by a top drive 132 (or by a rotary table on a rig floor in other implementations), which will result in rotation of drill bit 126, enabling drill bit 126 to advance cutting of the rock formation. As drill string 120 is rotated, a structure of each SPSM 100 that is coupled to drill string 120 via the crossover sub also rotates. Energy harvesters in SPSM 100 convert the mechanical energy from the rotation of the drill string into electrical energy. The energy harvesters may be triboelectric energy harvesters based on applying friction between two materials with opposed electron affinities, piezoelectric energy harvesters based on applying mechanical stresses to piezoelectric materials, or magnetostrictive energy harvesters based on applying mechanical stresses to magnetostrictive materials.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary SPSM 200 employing triboelectric energy harvesters to generate electricity. SPSM 200 can be used as SPSM 100 in FIGS. 1-3. SPSM 200 includes a pipe-in-pipe structure having an outer structure 202 and an inner structure 204 that is disposed within outer structure 202. Inner structure 204 is rotatable relative to outer structure 202 about a rotational axis 205. Rotational axis 205 may be an axial axis of the pipe-in-pipe structure. In one implementation, inner structure 204 may be the part of the SPSM that is coupled to a drill string (120 in FIG. 3), e.g., via a crossover sub (110 in FIG. 2), so that rotation of the drill string is transferred to inner structure 204. Outer structure 202 includes an outer structure body 206 with a central bore 212, which may have an axial axis that is aligned with rotational axis 205. Outer structure body 206 has an inner surface 216 that defines a cavity 220, which intersects central bore 212. Cavity 220 may be coaxial with central bore 212. Inner structure 204 is disposed within cavity 220. Inner surface 216 of outer structure body 206 is made of an inner top surface 216 a, an inner bottom surface 216 b that is in opposing relation to inner top surface 216 a, and an inner side surface 216 c connecting inner top surface 216 a to inner bottom surface 216 b. Inner top surface 216 a and inner bottom surface 216 b are annular in shape, and inner side surface 216 c is cylindrical in shape.

Inner structure 204 includes an inner structure body 208 with a central bore 244 extending in the same direction as central bore 212 of outer structure body 206. Central bore 244 of inner structure body 208 may be coaxial with central bore 212 of outer structure body 206. Inner structure body 208 has an outer surface 248 that is in opposing relation to and spaced apart from inner surface 216 of outer structure body 206. Outer surface 248 is made of an outer top surface 248 a, an outer bottom surface 248 b that is in opposing relation to outer top surface 248 a, and an outer side surface 248 c that connects outer top surface 248 a to outer bottom surface 248 b. Outer top surface 248 a and outer bottom surface 248 b are annular in shape, and outer side surface 248 c is cylindrical in shape. Outer top surface 248 a of inner structure body 208 and inner top surface 216 a of outer structure body 206 are in opposing relation and separated by a gap. Outer bottom surface 248 b of inner structure body 208 and inner bottom surface 216 b of outer structure body 206 are in opposing relation and separated by a gap. Outer side surface 248 c of inner structure body 208 and inner side surface 216 c of outer structure body 206 are in opposing relation and separated by a gap.

Bearing members 252 are placed between inner structure body 208 and outer structure body 206 and support rotation of inner structure body 208 relative to outer structure body 206. Bearing members 252 may be rolling contact bearing members. In the implementation illustrated in FIG. 4, bearing members 252 are bearing balls (or spherical balls). In other implementations, bearing members 252 could be rollers. In one example, bearing members 252 are disposed along an outer circumference of inner structure body 208 and retained on outer side surface 248 c of inner structure body 208. A guide channel 256 is formed in inner side surface 216 c of outer structure body 206. Guide channel 256 runs along an inner circumference of outer structure body 206 and corresponds in location to the outer circumference of inner structure body 208 where bearing members 252 are located. Guide channel 256 receives bearing members 252 and guides movement of bearing members 252 along a circular path as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. Bearing members 252 are expected to have negligible friction with the surface of guide channel 256 so that outer structure 202 remains relatively stationary while inner structure 204 rotates with the drill string. Outer structure body 206 and inner structure body 208 may be made of any low friction material that can operate at high temperatures, e.g., greater than 150° C., and at high pressures, e.g., greater than 5000 psi. Preferably, the materials of outer structure body 206 and inner structure body 208 have high abrasion and wear resistance. The materials may be metallic, non-metallic, or composite. Moreover, the materials of outer structure body 206 and inner structure body 208 may be the same or may be different.

Grooves 228 a are formed in a top portion 206 a of outer structure body 206. Grooves 228 a extend to and have openings at inner top surface 216 a. Although only two grooves 228 a are visible in FIG. 4, there will typically be several more grooves 228 a (for example, FIG. 5 shows six grooves 228 a, and there may be still more grooves 228 a than shown in FIG. 5). Movable elements 236 a are disposed in grooves 228 a. Each movable element 236 a is coupled to outer structure body 206. For example, a spring 240 a may be used to attach each movable element 236 a to an end wall of the respective groove 228 a. The attachment of spring 240 a to movable element 236 a allows movable element 236 a to be displaced relative to outer structure body 206 and in particular along the length of the respective groove 228 a. In one implementation, in a home position of spring 240 a, at least a portion of movable element 236 a extends through the opening of the respective groove 228 a into the gap between inner top surface 216 a of outer structure body 206 and outer top surface 248 a of inner structure body 208. Spring 240 a biases movable element 236 a in a direction towards outer top surface 248 a of inner structure body 208, i.e., in a direction out of respective groove 228 a. As shown in FIG. 5, openings of grooves 228 a form a circular pattern on inner top surface 216 a of outer structure body 206. Movable elements 236 a, which are disposed in grooves 228 a and are extendible through the openings of grooves 228 a, are also arranged in this circular pattern. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, each movable element 236 a has a spherical shape. In general, each movable element 236 a may have a shape to provide a convex contact surface for interaction with ball elements 260 a on inner structure body 208.

Returning to FIG. 4, grooves 228 b are formed in a bottom portion 206 b of outer structure body 206. Grooves 228 b have openings on inner bottom surface 216 b. Although only two grooves 228 b are visible in FIG. 4, there will typically be several more grooves 228 b. In some examples, the number of grooves 228 b may the same as the number of grooves 228 a. Movable elements 236 b are disposed in grooves 228 b. Each movable element 236 b is coupled to outer structure body 206. For example, a spring 240 b may be used to attach each movable element 236 b to a bottom wall of the respective groove 228 b. The attachment of spring 240 b to movable element 236 b allows movable element 236 b to be displaced relative to outer structure body 206 and in particular along the length of the respective groove 228 b. In one implementation, in a home position of spring 240 b, at least a portion of movable element 236 b extends through the opening of the respective groove 228 b into the gap between inner bottom surface 216 b of outer structure body 206 and outer bottom surface 248 b of inner structure body 208. Spring 240 b biases movable element 236 b in a direction towards outer bottom surface 248 b of inner structure body 208, i.e., in a direction out of respective groove 228 b. Openings of grooves 228 b form a circular pattern on inner bottom surface 216 b (similar to what is shown in FIG. 5 for openings of grooves 228 a on inner top surface 216 a). Movable elements 236, which are disposed in grooves 228 b and are extendible through the openings of grooves 228 b, are also arranged in this circular pattern. In one example, each movable element 236 b has a spherical shape. In general, each movable element 236 b may have a shape to provide a convex contact surface for interaction with ball elements 260 b on inner structure body 208.

Ball elements 260 a are placed along and retained on outer top surface 248 a of inner structure body 208. In one example, ball elements 260 a have a spherical shape. In general, each ball element 260 a may have a shape to provide a convex contact surface for interaction with movable elements 236 a on outer structure body 206. Ball elements 260 a form a circular pattern on outer top surface 248 a. FIG. 6 shows that the circular pattern formed by ball elements 260 a coincides with the circular pattern formed by movable elements 236 a. Returning to FIG. 4, ball elements (not visible in FIG. 4) are placed along and retained on outer bottom surface 248 b of inner structure body 208 in the same manner described for ball elements 260 a and outer top surface 248 a. Referring to FIG. 7A, the height of the gap between inner top surface 216 a of outer structure body 206 and outer top surface 248 a of inner structure body 208, the extent to which each movable element 236 a projects into the gap when the respective spring 240 a is in the home position, and the extent to which each ball element 260 a projects into the gap can be selected such that ball elements 260 a will come into contact with movable elements 236 a as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. Similarly, the height of the gap between inner bottom surface 216 b of outer structure body 206 and outer bottom surface 248 b of inner structure body 208, the extent to which each movable element 236 b projects into the gap when the respective spring 240 b is in the home position, and the extent to which each ball element 260 b projects into the gap can be selected such that ball elements 260 b will come into contact with movable elements 236 b as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202.

FIG. 7A shows a state where “top” ball elements 260 a are approaching “top” movable elements 236 a and “bottom” ball elements 260 b are approaching bottom” movable elements 236 b. As inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202, top ball elements 260 a will come into contact with top movable elements 236 a, and bottom ball elements 260 a will come into contact with bottom movable elements 236 b. FIGS. 7B and 7C show states where top ball elements 260 a are in contact with top movable elements 236 a and bottom ball elements 260 b are in contact with bottom movable elements 236 b. In FIG. 7C, movable elements 236 a, 236 b have been displaced inwardly of their respective grooves 228 a, 228 b to accommodate the height of ball elements 260 a, 260 b. While top ball elements 260 a are in sliding contact with top movable elements 236 a, top springs 240 a will urge top movable elements 236 a against top ball elements 260 a, ensuring maximum contact between top ball elements 260 a and top movable elements 236 a. Similarly, while bottom ball elements 260 b are in sliding contact with bottom movable elements 236, bottom springs 240 b will urge bottom movable elements 236 b against bottom ball elements 260 b, ensuring maximum contact between bottom ball elements 260 b and bottom movable elements 236 b. FIG. 7D shows a state where ball elements 260 a, 260 b have separated again from movable elements 236 a, 236 b, and the movable elements have returned to their home positions. This process of ball elements 260 a, 260 b contacting movable elements 236 a, 236 b and subsequently separating from movable elements 236 a, 236 b continues as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202.

FIG. 8 shows a variant SPSM 200′ where guide channels 280 a, 280 b are formed in inner surfaces 216 a, 216 b of outer structure body 206 to receive ball elements 260 a, 260 b, respectively. FIG. 9 shows inner top surface 216 a with guide channel 280 a for ball elements 260 a. Guide channel 280 a receives and guides ball elements 260 a along a circular path. Grooves 228 a intersect guide channel 280 a to allow ball elements 260 a to contact movable elements 236 a in grooves 228 a as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. Similarly, guide channel 280 b (in FIG. 8) receives and guides ball elements 260 b along a circular path. Grooves 228 b intersect guide channel 280 b to allow ball elements 260 b to contact movable elements 236 b in grooves 228 b as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. FIG. 10A shows a state where ball elements 260 a, 260 b in guide channels 280 a, 280 b are approaching movable elements 236 a, 236 b in grooves 228 a, 228 b as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. FIG. 10B shows a state where ball elements 260 a, 260 b in guide channels 280 a, 280 b are in contact with movable elements 236 a, 236 b in grooves 228 a, 228 b. FIG. 9C shows a state where ball elements 260 a, 260 b in guide channels 280 a, 280 b are again separated from movable elements 236 a, 236 b in grooves 228 a, 228 b. In the example shown in FIG. 8, ball elements 260 a, 260 b provide ball bearings between inner structure 204 and outer structure 202. These ball bearings may be in addition to the bearing support provided by bearing members 252.

For discussion purposes, the term “tribo-surface” will be used to describe a surface involved in generating electricity by the triboelectric effect. To generate electricity by the triboelectric effect, two tribo-surfaces are needed—a first tribo-surface made of a first material and a second tribo-surface made of a second material. For convenience, these two materials will be labeled A and B. Materials A and B have opposite polarities or polarities that are as distant as possible. This may also be expressed as materials A and B having opposed electron affinities. Two tribo-surfaces that are involved in generating electricity by the tribo-electric effect will have opposed electron affinities. Given a set of materials with different electron affinities, the materials may be ranked in order of affinity for electrons, starting from the highest to the lowest (or vice versa). Materials A and B may be selected from opposite ends of the rank. In a non-limiting example, each of materials A and B may be selected from polyamide, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyimide, carbon nanotubes, copper, silver, aluminum, lead, elastomer, Teflon, Kapton, nylon, and polyester.

In one implementation, contact surfaces of ball elements 260 a, 260 b and movable elements 236 a, 236 b act as energy harvesting elements (EHEs). In this case, EHEs are materials A and B that are disposed on at least the contact surfaces of ball elements 260 a, 260 b and the contact surfaces of movable elements 236 a, 236 b. The arrangement of the EHEs on ball elements 260 a and movable elements 236 a and on ball elements 260 b and movable elements 236 b is such that the EHEs will provide a plurality of tribo-surfaces with opposed electron affinities that will contact each other as inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. As an example, ball elements 260 a, 260 b may be made of or coated with material A, and movable elements 236 a, 236 b may be made of or coated with material B. Material A for ball elements 260 a may be the same or may differ from material A for ball elements 260 b. Similarly, material B for movable elements 236 a may be the same or may differ from material B for movable elements 236 b.

When a ball element EHE surface with material A is rubbed against a movable element EHE surface with material B, one surface will tend to donate electrons while the other surface will accept electrons. For example, if material A is PDMS and material B is polyester, the polyester surface will tend to donate electrons, while the PDMS surface will accept electrons. If the ball element surface with material A and the movable element surface with material B are separated immediately after they are rubbed together, an air gap will be created that isolates the charge on the surface that accepted electrons, which would create oppositely charged surfaces. When a load is connected between these two oppositely charged surfaces, current will flow to equalize the charge potential. When these surfaces move toward each other again, there will be a current flow, but in the opposite direction. The cycle of contact (short circuit) and separation (open circuit) results in charges flowing in one direction and then in the opposite direction, leading to a positive and negative voltage waveform. Therefore, by bringing ball elements 260 a (260 b) with material A surfaces into contact with movable elements 236 a (236 b) with material B surfaces and then quickly separating these surfaces, alternating current (AC) can be produced. The continuity of the AC will depend on the rate at which inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202, which will depend on the rate at which the drill string rotates in downhole applications. The electrical energy generated by triboelectric effect can be used to power sensors and associated electronics in the SPSM.

As can be appreciated, the more EHEs with material A and B that are involved in generating electricity, the more electricity can be generated. FIG. 11 shows a variant SPSM 200″ where additional ball elements 260 c, 260 d and movable elements 236 c, 236 d are provided between inner side surface 216 c of outer structure body and outer side surface 248 c of inner structure body 208. EHEs with materials A and B can be disposed on ball elements 260 a, 260 b and movable elements 236 c, 236 d, respectively, to generate electricity when inner structure 204 rotates relative to outer structure 202. In the example of FIG. 11, upper ball elements 260 c (only one ball element 260 c is visible) and lower ball elements 260 d (only one ball element 260 d is visible) are positioned along and retained on outer side surface 248 c of inner structure body 208. Upper movable elements 236 c (only one movable element 236 c is visible) and lower movable elements 236 d (only one movable element 236 d is visible) are positioned in grooves 228 c, 228 d, respectively, in outer structure body 206. Movable elements 236 c, 236 d are coupled to outer structure body 206 by springs 240 c, 240 d. Guide channels 280 c, 280 d may be formed in inner side surface 216 c of outer structure body 206 to receive and guide motion of ball elements 260 c, 260 d. In this case, ball elements 260 c, 260 d provide ball bearings between inner structure 204 and outer structure 202. The bearing support provided by ball elements 260 c, 260 d may be in addition to the bearing support provided by bearing members 252. The arrangement of ball elements 260 a, 260 b, 260 c, 260 d and movable elements 236 a, 236 b, 236 c, 236 d may be such that EHE materials A and B on these ball elements and movable elements generate AC synchronously.

FIG. 12 shows another exemplary SPSM 300 employing triboelectric energy harvesters to generate electricity. SPSM 300 can be used as SPSM 100 in FIGS. 1-3. SPSM 300 is similar to SPSM 200 in nearly all respects. The main difference between SPSM 300 and SPSM 200 is in the configuration of the energy harvesters used to generate electricity. SPSM 300 includes a pipe-in-pipe structure having an outer structure 302 and an inner structure 304 disposed within outer structure 302. Inner structure 304 is rotatable relative to outer structure 302 about a rotational axis 305. Rotational axis 305 may be an axial axis of the pipe-in-pipe structure. Outer structure 302 has an outer structure body 306 with a cavity 320. Inner structure 304 is disposed within cavity 320 and is rotatable within cavity 320. Inner structure 304 has an inner structure body 308. Rotation of inner structure 304 relative to outer structure 302 may be supported by bearing members 352 retained on an outer side surface 348 c of inner structure body 308 and received in a mating guide channel 356 in an inner side surface 316 c of outer structure body 306. Ball elements 360 a are retained on a top outer surface 348 a of inner structure body 308, and ball elements 360 b (visible in FIGS. 13A-13C) are retained on an outer bottom surface 348 b of inner structure body 308. Ball elements 360 a, 360 b may be arranged in circular patterns on the respective surfaces of inner structure body 308. Grooves 328 a are formed in a top portion 306 a of outer structure body 306 and have openings on an inner surface 316 a of outer structure body 306 that is in opposing relation to outer top surface 348 a of inner structure body 308. Similarly, grooves 328 b are formed in a bottom portion 306 b of outer structure body 306 and have openings on an inner bottom surface 316 b of outer structure body 306 that is in opposing relation to outer bottom surface 348 b of inner structure body 308. Movable elements 336 a, 336 b are disposed in grooves 328 a, 328 b.

Now to the difference between SPSM 300 and SPSM 200, each movable element 336 a, 336 b has an inner end surface 335 a, 335 b that is in opposing relation to end wall 333 a, 333 b of groove 328 a, 328 b and an outer end surface 334 a, 334 b for contacting ball element 360 a, 360 b on inner structure body 208. In one example, outer end surfaces 334 a, 334 b are convex surfaces, e.g., portions of spherical surfaces. Inner end surfaces 335 a, 335 b may be flat. In one example, movable elements 336 a, 336 b may have flanges 330 a, 330 b that abut shoulders (or seats) 331 a, 331 b in the home position (i.e., in a position where movable elements 336 a, 336 b are not in contact with ball elements 360 a, 360 b). Springs 340 a, 340 b may be arranged between end walls 333 a, 333 b and flanges 335 a, 335 b of movable elements 336 a, 336 b to restore movable elements 336 a, 336 b to their home positions after movable elements 336 a, 336 b have been displaced from shoulders (or seats) 331 a, 331 b by contact with ball elements 360 a, 360 b. Springs 340 a, 340 b may be arranged between end walls 333 a, 333 b and flanges 330 a, 330 b and may act to restore movable elements to their home positions after they have been displaced inwardly of grooves 328 a, 328 b by contact with ball elements 360 a, 360 b. In some cases, movable elements 336 a, 336 b may be suspended in grooves 328 a, 328 b on the ends of springs 340 a, 340 b without flanges on movable elements 336 a, 336 b abutting shoulders (or seats) in grooves 328 a, 328 b. In some cases, extension and retraction of springs 340 a, 340 b may be guided along movement tracks in grooves 328 a, 328 b.

Energy harvesting elements (EHEs) 329 a, 329 b are disposed on end walls 333 a, 333 b of grooves 328 a, 328 b. EHEs 332 a, 332 b are disposed on inner end surfaces 335 a, 335 b of movable elements 336 a, 336 b. EHEs 329 a, 332 a, 329 b, 332 b may be material films or sheets applied, adhered, or otherwise attached to the respective surfaces (each EHE may have a single layer or multiple layers of material). EHEs 329 a, 332 b are in opposing relation within grooves 328 a. Similarly, EHEs 329 b, 332 b are in opposing relation within grooves 328 b. In the home position, EHEs 329 a, 332 a in each groove 328 a are separated by a gap 343 a, and EHEs 329 b, 332 b in each groove 328 b are separated by a gap 343 b. When ball elements 360 a contact movable elements 336 a, movable elements 336 a are propelled into grooves 328 a such that opposed EHEs 332 a and 329 a physically contact each other. EHEs 332 a, 329 a separate when ball elements 360 a move away from contact with movable elements 236 a. Similarly, when ball elements 360 b contact movable elements 336 b, movable elements 336 b are propelled into grooves 328 b such that opposed EHEs 332 b and 329 b physically contact each other. EHEs 332 b, 329 b separate when ball elements 360 b move away from contact with movable elements 336 b. FIG. 13A shows a state where ball elements 360 a, 360 b are approaching movable elements 336 a. 336 b due to rotation of inner structure 304 relative to outer structure 302. FIG. 13B shows a state where ball elements 360 a, 360 b are in contact with movable elements 336 a, 336 b. Movable elements 336 a, 336 b have been displaced inwardly of their respective grooves 328 a, 328 b compared to the state shown in FIG. 13A. Opposed EHEs 332 a, 329 a within grooves 328 a are in contact, and opposed EHEs 332 b, 329 b within grooves 328 b are in contact. FIG. 13C shows a state where ball elements 360 a, 360 b have separated again from movable elements 336 a, 336 b. In this state, movable elements 336 a are in their home positions, and opposed EHEs 332 a, 329 a are no longer in contact. Similarly, movable elements 336 b are in their home positions, and opposed EHEs 332 a, 329 a are no longer in contact. EHEs 332 a and 329 b are made of materials A and B as described with reference to SPSM 200, i.e., contact surfaces of EHEs 332 a, 329 b have opposed electron affinities. Similarly, EHEs 332 b and 329 b are made of materials A and B. In this implementation, EHEs 332 a, 329 a, 332 b, 329 b provide tribo-surfaces for generation of electricity by the triboelectric effect. Contact between the material A and B tribo-surfaces, followed by separation of these surfaces, will result in generation of electric charges by triboelectric effect. The electric charges can be used to power sensors and other electronics inside the SPSM.

To maximize generation of electricity, grooves with openings on an inner side surface 316 c (in FIG. 12) of outer structure body 306 can be formed, movable elements can be disposed in the grooves, opposed EHEs made of materials A and B can be arranged within the grooves and between the movable elements and end walls of the grooves, a gap between the opposed EHEs can be responsive to a displacement of the movable elements relative to the grooves, and ball elements can be retained on an outer side surface 348 c (in FIG. 12) of inner structure body 308 to displace the movable elements as inner structure 304 rotates relative to outer structure 302. This is similar to the variation illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIG. 11. Moreover, as described in variants of SPSM 200, ball elements on inner structure body 308 can be received in guide channels in outer structure body 306, allowing the ball elements to double up as bearing supports. This is similar to the variations illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIGS. 8-11. In general, SPSM 300 is deemed to have all the features of SPSM 200, and variants thereof, described with reference to FIGS. 4-11, except for the details of the energy harvesters.

FIG. 14 shows another exemplary SPSM 400 employing triboelectric energy harvesters to generate electricity. SPSM 400 can be used as SPSM 100 in FIGS. 1-3. SPSM 400 is similar to SPSM 200 in nearly all respects. The main difference between SPSM 400 and SPSM 200 is in the configuration of the energy harvesters. SPSM 400 includes a pipe-in-pipe structure having an outer structure 402 and an inner structure 404 that is disposed within outer structure 402. Outer structure 402 has an outer structure body 406 with a cavity 420. Inner structure 404 is disposed within cavity 420 and is rotatable relative to outer structure body 406 about a rotational axis 405. Rotational axis 405 may be an axial axis of the pipe-in-pipe structure. Inner structure 404 has an inner structure body 408. Rotation of inner structure 404 relative to outer structure 402 may be supported by bearing members 452 retained on an outer side surface 448 c of inner structure body 408 and received in a mating guide channel 456 in an inner side surface 416 c of outer structure body 406. Ball elements 460 a are retained on an outer top surface 448 a of inner structure body 408, and ball elements 460 b (visible in FIGS. 15A-15C) are retained on an outer bottom surface 448 b of inner structure body 408. Ball elements 460 a, 460 b may be arranged in circular patterns on the respective surfaces of inner structure body 408. Grooves 428 a are formed in a top portion 406 a of outer structure body 406 and have openings on an inner top surface 416 a of outer structure body 406 that is in opposing relation to outer top surface 448 a of inner structure body 408. Similarly, grooves 428 b are formed in a bottom portion 406 b of outer structure body 406 and have openings on an inner bottom surface 416 b of outer structure body 406 that is in opposing relation to outer bottom surface 448 b of inner structure body 408. Movable elements 436 a, 436 b are disposed in grooves 428 a, 428 b.

Now to the difference between SPSM 400 and SPSM 200, each movable element 436 a, 436 b has a stem 435 a, 435 b terminating in a curved contact end 434 a, 434 b. In one example, each curved end 434 a, 434 b has a convex shape, e.g., a portion of a spherical shape. Energy harvesting element (EHE) 432 a is disposed on a side surface of stem 435 a of movable element 436 a. EHE 429 a is disposed on a side wall of groove 428 a that is adjacent to the side surface of stem 435 a. EHEs 432 a and 429 a are in contact, and EHE 432 a is positioned to slide along EHE 429 a as movable element 436 a is displaced relative to groove 428 a. Similarly, EHE 432 b is disposed on a side surface of stem 435 b of movable element 436 b. EHE 429 b is disposed on a side wall of groove 428 b that is adjacent to the side surface of stem 435 b. EHEs 432 b and 429 b are in contact, and EHE 429 b is positioned to slide along EHE 432 b as movable element 436 b is displaced relative to groove 428 b. Movable elements 436 a, 436 b may be movably suspended in their respective grooves 428 a, 428 b by means of one or more springs 440 a, 440 b. In some cases, springs that move within movement tracks in the grooves may be used to suspend the movable elements. In addition to suspending movable elements 432 a, 436 b in respective grooves, springs 440 a, 440 b may also act to restore movable elements 436 a, 436 b to their respective home positions. In the home positions, contact ends 434 a, 434 b may extend into a gap between inner surfaces 416 a, 416 b of outer structure body 406 and outer surfaces 448 a, 448 b of inner structure body 408.

Each of EHEs 432 a, 429 a, 432 a, 429 b includes a periodic array of two different materials (different cross hatchings are used to indicate the two different materials). In one implementation, the two different materials are materials A and B with opposed electron affinities, as previously described in connection with SPSM 200. The two different materials are arranged alternately in the array. In this implementation, EHEs 432 a, 429 a, 432 a, 429 a made of periodic arrays of materials A and B provide tribo-surfaces, where each tribo-surface is formed of an alternating arrangement of material A and material B. Stems 335 a, 335 b and EHEs 432 a, 429 a, 432 b, 429 b may have suitable shapes to enable sliding contact between EHEs 432 a, 432 b on the stems and EHEs 429 a, 429 b on the side walls of the grooves. FIG. 14A shows an example where each of stem 435 a, EHE 429 a in contact with stem 435 a, and EHE 429 a in contact with EHE 429 a has a circular cross-section. FIG. 14B shows an example where stem 435 a has a square cross-section. Two EHEs 432 a are disposed on opposite sides of stem 435 a, and each has a rectangular cross-section. Two EHEs 429 a are disposed adjacent to the two EHEs 432 a. The examples shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B could be applied to stem 435 b and EHEs 432 b, 429 b. Moreover, other shapes of stems and EHEs besides those shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B are possible.

As inner structure 404 rotates relative to outer structure 402, ball elements 460 a, 460 b will contact movable elements 436 a, 436 b and then separate from movable elements 436 a, 436 b. When ball elements 460 a, 460 b contact movable elements 436 a, 436 b, movable elements 436 a, 436 b are propelled towards end walls of grooves 428 a, 428 b, resulting in sliding of EHEs 432 a, 432 b along EHEs 429 a, 429 b. When ball elements 460 a, 460 b separate from movable elements 436 a, 436 b, movable elements 436 a, 436 b will return to their home positions. FIG. 15A shows a state where ball elements 460 a, 460 b are approaching movable elements 436 a, 436 b. FIG. 15B shows a state where ball elements 460 a, 460 b are in contact with movable elements 436 a, 436 b. Movable elements 436 a, 436 b have been displaced inwardly of their respective grooves 428 a, 428 b compared to the state shown in FIG. 15A. FIG. 15C shows a state where ball elements 460 a, 460 b have separated again from movable elements 436 a, 436 b and movable elements 436 a, 436 b are again at their home positions. As EHE 432 a slides relative to EHE 429 a, a layer of material A in EHE 432 a will make sliding contact with a layer of material B in EHE 432 a, and a layer of material B in EHE 432 a will make sliding contact with a layer of material A in EHE 429 a. Similarly, as EHE 432 b slides relative to EHE 429 b, material A in EHE 432 b will make sliding contact with material B in EHE 432 b, and a material B in EHE 432 b will make sliding contact with a material A in EHE 429 b. These sliding contacts between materials of opposite electron affinities result in electrical charges by the triboelectric effect. The electrical charges can be used to power sensors and other electronics in the SPSM.

To maximize generation of electricity, grooves with openings on an inner surface 416 c (in FIG. 14) of outer structure body 406 can be formed, movable elements can be disposed in the grooves, EHEs made of periodic arrays of materials A and B and arranged in sliding contact can be positioned in the grooves, and ball elements can be positioned on a side surface 448 c (in FIG. 14) of inner structure body 208 to displace the movable elements and produce relative sliding between the periodic arrays as the inner structure 404 rotates relative to the outer structure 402. This is similar to the variation illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIG. 11. Moreover, as described in variants of SPSM 200, ball elements on inner structure body 408 can be received in guide channels in outer structure body 406, allowing the ball elements to double up as bearing supports. This is similar to the variations illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIGS. 8-11. In general, SPSM 400 is deemed to have all the features of SPSM 200, and variants thereof, described with reference to FIGS. 4-11, except for the details of the energy harvesters.

FIG. 16 shows another exemplary SPSM 500 employing piezoelectric energy harvesters to generate electricity. SPSM 500 can be used as SPSM 100 in FIGS. 1-3. SPSM 500 is identical to SPSM 200 in nearly all respects. The main difference between SPSM 500 and SPSM 200 is in the configuration of the energy harvesters. SPSM 500 includes a pipe-in-pipe structure having an outer structure 502 and an inner structure 504 disposed within outer structure 502. Outer structure 502 has an outer structure body 506 with a cavity 520. Inner structure 504 is disposed within cavity 520 and is rotatable relative to outer structure body 506 about a rotational axis 505. Rotational axis 505 may be an axial axis of the pipe-in-pipe structure. Inner structure 504 has an inner structure body 508. Rotation of inner structure 504 relative to outer structure 502 may be supported by bearing members 552 retained on an outer side surface 548 c of inner structure body 508 and received in a mating guide channel 556 in an inner side surface 516 c of outer structure body 506. Ball elements 560 a are retained on an outer top surface 548 a of inner structure body 508, and ball elements 560 b (visible in FIGS. 17A-17C) are retained on an outer bottom surface 548 b of inner structure body 508. Ball elements 560 a, 560 b may be arranged in circular patterns on the respective surfaces of inner structure body 508. Grooves 528 a are formed in a top portion 506 a of outer structure body 506 and have openings on an inner surface 516 a of outer structure body 506 that is in opposing relation to outer top surface 548 a of inner structure body 508. Similarly, grooves 528 b are formed in a bottom portion 506 b of outer structure body 506 and have openings on an inner bottom surface 516 b of outer structure body 506 that is in opposing relation to outer bottom surface 548 b of inner structure body 508. Movable elements 536 a, 538 b are disposed in grooves 528 a, 526 b.

Now to the difference between SPSM 500 and SPSM 200, each movable element 536 a has an inner contact surface 535 a and an outer contact surface 534 a. Contact surfaces 535 a, 534 a are convex surfaces, such as portions of a spherical surface. Inner contact surface 535 a is in opposing relation to an end wall 533 a of the respective groove 528 a. Similarly, each movable element 536 b has an inner contact surface 535 b and an outer contact surface 535 b. Contact surfaces 535 b, 534 b are convex surfaces, such as portions of a spherical surface. Inner contact surface 535 b is in opposing relation to an end wall 533 b of the respective groove 528 b. An energy harvesting element (EHE) 529 a is disposed on end wall 533 a of groove 528 a. A EHE 529 b is disposed on end wall 533 b of groove 528 a. EHEs 529 a, 529 b are films or sheets of a piezoelectric material (each EHE may have a single layer or multiple layers of piezoelectric material). Examples of piezoelectric materials include, but are not limited to, quartz, lanthanum gallium silicate (langasite), lithium niobate, titanium oxide, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Movable elements 536 a, 536 b may be retained in the respective grooves 528 a, 528 b by springs 540 a, 540 b. In one example, springs 540 a, 540 a may be guided along movement tracks in the respective grooves. In another example, which is illustrated, grooves 528 a, 528 b may have shoulders (or seats) 531 a, 531 b, and movable elements 536 a, 536 b may have flanges that abut shoulders (or seats) 530 a, 530 b when movable elements 536 a, 536 b are in the home position (i.e., in a position when movable elements 536 a, 536 b are not in contact with ball elements 560 a, 560 b). Springs 540 a, 540 b may be attached between end walls 533 a, 533 b of grooves 528 a, 528 b and flanges of movable elements 536 a, 536 b.

In the home position of movable elements 536 a, 536 b, inner contact surfaces 535 a, 535 b are separated from respective EHEs 529 a, 529 b by gaps. Movable elements 536 a, 536 b can travel through these gaps to contact EHEs 529 a, 529 b. As inner structure 504 rotates relative to outer structure 502, ball elements 560 a, 560 b will contact movable elements 536 a, 536 b and then separate from movable elements 536 a, 536 b. When ball elements 560 a, 560 b contact movable elements 536 a, 536 b, movable elements 536 a, 536 b are propelled towards end walls 533 a, 533 b of the respective grooves 528 a, 528 b, resulting in contact between inner contact surfaces 535 a, 535 b and respective EHEs 529 a, 529 b. When ball elements 560 a, 560 b separate from movable elements 536 a, 536 b again, movable elements 536 a, 536 b will return to their home positions. FIG. 17A shows a state where ball elements 560 a, 560 b are approaching movable elements 536 a, 536 b. FIG. 17B shows a state where ball elements 560 a, 560 b are in contact with movable elements 536 a, 536 b. Movable elements 560 a, 560 b have been displaced inwardly of their respective grooves 528 a, 528 b compared to the state shown in FIG. 17A. FIG. 17C shows a state where ball elements 560 a, 560 b have separated again from movable elements 536 a, 536 b, and movable elements 536 a, 536 b are again at their home positions. Compression of EHEs 529 a, 529 b during contact with movable elements 536 a, 536 b will induce mechanical stresses in EHEs 529 a, 529 b, which would result in electrical charges inside EHEs 529 a, 529 b. The electrical charges accumulated in EHEs 529 a, 529 b can be used to power sensors and other electronics inside the SPSM.

To maximize generation of electricity, grooves with openings on an inner side surface 516 c (in FIG. 16) of outer structure body 506 can be formed, movable elements can be disposed in the grooves, EHEs with piezoelectric material can be disposed on end walls of the grooves to be compressed in response to displacement of the movable elements, and ball elements can be retained on an outer side surface 548 c (in FIG. 16) of inner structure body 508 to displace the movable elements as inner structure 504 rotates relative to outer structure 502. This is similar to the variation illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIG. 11. Moreover, as described in variants of SPSM 200, ball elements on inner structure body 508 can be received in guide channels in outer structure body 506, allowing the ball elements to double up as bearing supports. This is similar to the variations illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIGS. 8-11. In general, SPSM 500 is deemed to have all the features of SPSM 200, and variants thereof, described with reference to FIGS. 4-11, except for the details of the energy harvesters.

A SPSM employing magnetostrictive energy harvesters can be constructed based on SPSM 500 and by replacing the piezoelectric material of EHEs 329 a, 329 b with magnetostrictive material. Examples of magnetostrictive materials include, but are not limited to, Terfenol-D (an alloy of Terbium, Dysprosium, and Iron), Galfenol (an alloy of iron and gallium), and Metglas (metallic glass alloy). The mechanical stress applied to the magnetostrictive EHEs due to the contact of the ball elements 560 a, 560 b with movable elements 536 a, 536 b will result in a change in magnetic field of the magnetostrictive EHE. This induced magnetic field can be converted into a voltage by a planar pick-up coil or a solenoid placed in the vicinity of the magnetostrictive EHE.

FIG. 18 shows another exemplary SPSM 600 employing piezoelectric energy harvesters to generate electricity. SPSM 600 can be used as SPSM 100 in FIGS. 1-3. SPSM 600 is identical to SPSM 200 in nearly all respects. The main difference between SPSM 600 and SPSM 200 is in the configuration of the energy harvesters. SPSM 600 includes a pipe-in-pipe structure having an outer structure 602 and an inner structure 604 disposed within outer structure 602. Outer structure 602 has an outer structure body 606 with a cavity 620. Inner structure 604 is disposed within cavity 620 and is rotatable relative to outer structure body 606 about a rotational axis 605. Rotational axis 605 may be an axial axis of the pipe-in-pipe structure. Inner structure 604 has an inner structure body 608. Rotation of inner structure 604 relative to outer structure 602 may be supported by bearing members 652 retained on an outer side surface 648 c of inner structure body 608 and received in a mating guide channel 656 in an inner side surface 616 c of outer structure body 606. Ball elements 660 a are retained on an outer top surface 648 a of inner structure body 608, and ball elements 660 b are retained on an outer bottom surface 648 b of inner structure body 608. Ball elements 660 a, 660 b may be arranged in circular patterns on their respective surfaces of inner structure body 608. Grooves 628 a are formed in a top portion 606 a of outer structure body 606 and have openings on an inner top surface 616 a of outer structure body 606 that is in opposing relation to outer top surface 648 a of inner structure body 608. Similarly, grooves 628 b are formed in a bottom portion 606 b of outer structure body 606 and have openings on an inner bottom surface 616 b of outer structure body 606 that is in opposing relation to outer bottom surface 648 b of inner structure body 608. Movable elements 636 a, 636 b are disposed in grooves 628 a, 626 b. In one example, movable elements 636 a, 636 b have spherical shapes. In general, movable elements 636 a, 636 b may have shapes to provide convex contact surfaces, which are the surfaces with which movable elements 636 a, 636 b will interact with ball elements 660 a, 660 b.

Now to the difference between SPSM 600 and SPSM 200, energy harvesting elements (EHE) 632 a, 632 b are disposed within grooves 628 a, 628 b. EHEs are ribbon structures. EHEs 632 a, 632 b may be attached between end walls of grooves 628 a, 628 b and movable elements 636 a, 636 b and can be flexed and compressed by displacement of movable elements 636 a, 636 b relative to grooves 628 a, 628 b. EHEs 632 a, 632 b include nanoribbons, i.e., nanosized strips of material. In a particular example, EHEs 632 a, 632 b include piezoelectric nanoribbons. In one example, the piezoelectric ribbons may be ceramic nanoribbons such as those made from lead zirconate titanate (or PZT). The piezoelectric ribbons may be encased in or printed on a flexible material, such as a flexible elastomer. Movable elements 636 a are movably supported within grooves 628 a, e.g., by piezoelectric EHEs 632 a, with the convex contact surfaces of movable elements 636 a exposed to the gap between inner top surface 616 a of outer structure body 206 and outer top surface 648 a of inner surface body 208. Similarly, movable elements 626 b are movably supported within grooves 628 b, e.g., by piezoelectric EHEs 632 b, with the convex contact surfaces of movable elements 626 b exposed to the gap between inner bottom surface 616 b of outer structure body 206 and outer bottom surface 648 b of inner structure body 608. As inner structure 604 rotates relative to outer structure 602, ball elements 606 a cycle through contacting movable elements 626 a and separating from movable elements 626 a. Also, ball elements 606 b cycle through contacting movable elements 626 b and separating from movable elements 626 b. FIG. 19A shows a state where ball elements 606 a, 606 b are approaching movable elements 636 a, 636 b. FIG. 19B shows a state where ball elements 606 a, 606 b are in contact with movable elements 636 a, 636 b. Movable elements 606 a, 606 b have been displaced inwardly of their respective grooves 628 a, 628 b compared to the state shown in FIG. 19A. FIG. 19C shows a state where ball elements 606 a, 606 b have separated again from movable elements 636 a, 636 b, and movable elements have returned to their home positions. The movement of movable elements 606 a, 606 b relative to grooves 628 a, 628 b as a result of contact and separation of ball elements 606 a, 606 b with movable elements 606 a, 606 b results in mechanical stresses in piezoelectric EHEs 632 a, 632 b, which results in generation of electric charges within piezoelectric EHEs 632 a, 632 b. These electric charges can be used to power sensors and other electronics in the SPSM.

To maximize generation of electricity, grooves with openings on an inner side surface 616 c (in FIG. 18) of outer structure body 606 can be formed, movable elements can be disposed in the grooves, ribbon structured EHEs with piezoelectric material can be arranged in the grooves to be flexed in response to displacement of the movable elements, and ball elements can be retained on an outer side surface 648 c (in FIG. 18) of inner structure body 608 to displace the movable elements as inner structure 604 rotates relative to outer structure 602. This is similar to the variation illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIG. 11. Moreover, as described in variants of SPSM 200, ball elements on inner structure body 608 can be received in guide channels in outer structure body 606, allowing the ball elements to double up as bearing supports. This is similar to the variations illustrated for SPSM 200 in FIGS. 8-11. In general, SPSM 600 is deemed to have all the features of SPSM 200, and variants thereof, described with reference to FIGS. 4-11, except for the details of the energy harvesters.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a SPSM at a system level according to one illustrative implementation. Energy harvesters 700, which may be any of the triboelectric, piezoelectric, and magnetostrictive harvesters of any of SPSMs 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600, produce electricity, typically in the form of alternating current (AC). An AC/DC converter 710 converts the AC output to direct current (DC). AC/DC converter 710 may be, for example, a bridge rectifier circuit employing diodes. The DC output of AC/DC converter 710 is stored in an energy storage 720. Energy storage 720 may be, for example, a regular capacitor de-rated for use at high temperatures, a ceramic capacitor, an electrolytic capacitor, or a supercapacitor. Energy storage 720 provides power to a low power signal processing circuitry 730. For example, signal processing circuitry 730 may be CMOS-based, microcontroller based, digital signal processor, DSP-based, field programmable gate array (FGPA)-based, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-based, complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or a system-on-chip (SoC).

Signal processing circuitry 730 is in communication with a sensor module 740 and a communications module including a transceiver 750 and an antenna 760. Sensor module 740 includes one or more sensors or measuring instruments for measuring downhole drilling parameters. Sensor module 740 may include a variety of sensors, such as one or more of low power temperature, pressure, vibration, strain, magnetic field, electric field, magnetic, optical, acoustic, accelerometer, and gyroscope sensors. Signal processing circuitry 730 performs low power signal processing, conditions measurement data from sensor module 740, and stores the data in a local memory. Local memory may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may be preferred to prevent the need to constantly provide power to the memory in order to retain data. The signal processing circuitry 730 also performs power management by interfacing with energy storage 720 to deliver the appropriate system voltages and load currents to the circuit blocks in an efficient matter. Signal processing circuitry 730 may transmit data to the surface or to another SPSM through transceiver 750, which uses antenna 760. Transceiver 750 uses lower power wireless technologies, such as low-power Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, or LoRaWan. Antenna 760 could be polymer-based, paper-based, PET-based, textile-based, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based, artificial magnetic conductor-based, Kapton-based, or nickel-based metamaterial. Antenna 760 may be directional, omni-directional, or point-to-point. Antenna 760 may also be a planar antenna, such as monopole, dipole, inverted, ring, spiral, meander, or patch antenna.

The system is designed to have low power consumption by choosing lower power technologies when possible and by minimizing power usage. Signal processing circuitry 730 interprets and processes information stored in a local memory and analyzes the measurement data obtained from sensor module 740. Each of sensor module 740, transceiver 750, antenna 760, and memory associated with signal processing circuitry 730 has its own level of power usage. Sensors in sensor module 740 typically only require power when obtaining data from the environment and storing the data in memory. Once sensors have obtained data, sensors have low to no power consumption and can go to “sleep” until it is time to obtain data again. If a sensor is required to continuously obtain data, it has to be “active” continuously, and signal processing circuitry 730 will be required to obtain data at a high sample rate. Since this will rapidly drain power from energy storage 720, the sensors in sensor module 740 are designed to be active at certain periods of non-overlapping times. For example, sensors can be designed to be active at certain depths, where depth can be measured by an accelerometer, magnetometer, or a gyroscope. Transceiver 750 is designed to transmit and receive data at predetermined times or when triggered by an external signal. Moreover, since transceiver 750 requires more energy than sensors and signal processing circuitry to transmit/receive data, only a sample of the data after analysis by the signal processing circuitry 730, rather than all of the sensed data, may be transmitted/received to save power downhole. For example, all the components in the module of transceiver 750 do not have to be active continuously, nor do they have to operate simultaneously. Each component can have an active mode, a standby mode, and a sleep mode. The active mode is short since each component generally only has one short task in the whole system, followed by a relatively longer standby time and a longer sleep time. The energy saved in the standby and sleep times can be used to drive a component in the active mode.

The sensors and electronics of the SPSM can be manufactured on flexible substrates or as flexible electronics circuits. The flexible circuits can be made of metal-polymer conductors, organic polymers, printable polymers, metal foils, transparent thin film materials, glass, 2D materials such as graphene and MXene, silicon, or fractal metal dendrites. FIG. 4 shows that these flexible electronics can be disposed in compartments 272 a, 272 b in outer structure body 206 (similar compartments can be found in variations of SPSM 200 and other SPSM implementations). As an example, a flexible substrate 274 carrying an antenna may be disposed in upper compartment 272 a. A flexible substrate 275 carrying a transceiver may be disposed in lower compartment 272 b and folded to form a ring shape. A flexible substrate 276 carrying a sensor module, signal processing circuitry, AC/DC converter, an energy storage, and other electronics may be located in lower compartment 272 b. Appropriate connection can be made between the antenna and transceiver in the separate compartments 272 a, 272 b. Appropriate communication paths can be formed between the energy harvesters in the SPSM and the electronics carried in compartments 272 a, 272 b. Similar compartments and flexible substrates carrying electronics can be found in variations of SPSM 200 and the other SPSM implementations 200, 300, 400, 500, 600.

Returning to FIG. 3, multiple SPSMs 100, which may be any of the SPSM implementations 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, can be placed all along drill string 120 at chosen intervals to obtain real-time distributed data. FIG. 3 shows SPSMs 100 on the outside of drill string 120. However, there is the possibility of arranging one or more of SPSMs 100 inside drill string 120. When a SPSM is arranged inside drill string 120, the outer structure of the SPSM will rotate with the drill string and around the inner structure of the SPSM. SPSMs inside the drill string can allow data collection inside the drill string, while SPSMs outside the drill string can allow data collection outside the drill string. In some cases, the data collected from inside the drill string may be used as reference data.

Using data communication modules in the SPSMs, data can be transmitted along drill string 120 wirelessly with data units moved along as in a relay from the bottom of wellbore 122 to the surface. SPSMs 100 can be placed at a chosen distance along drill string 120 based on the maximum distance that data can be electromagnetically transmitted from one SPSM to another. This method of transmitting data along the drill string using SPSM is totally independent of drilling fluid flow, is faster than mud pulse telemetry, and can be very useful in situations such as lost circulation. In the case of lost circulation, for example, the bottomhole temperature is required for designing thermosetting lost circulation material (LCM), such as resin material, to cure the losses. The success of a thermosetting LCM resin depends on how accurately the hardening temperature of the viscous LCM is matched to the bottomhole temperature. Inaccurate bottomhole temperatures can result in the resin LCM setting inside the drill string or not setting at all and ending up in a gel-like state in the lost circulation zone, which would mean that the fractured formation cannot be plugged. By obtaining real time bottom temperature via SPSMs, the correct bottomhole temperature can be determined and used to design an effective LCM.

Another important use of SPSMs 100 is in providing real time well data that can be used to evaluate kicks in fracture zones. Drilling in deep reservoirs with partial or severe loss circulation is tremendously expensive since the driller is drilling “blind” as there is no real-time data on where the mud (drilling fluid) is being lost to the formation. Without real-time data, it is impossible to know the amount and the density of mud that needs to be added into the drill string and the well annulus to control the well, keep drilling, and ensure that kicks do not travel to the surface. SPSMs 100 placed all along a drill string gives real-time distributed sensing data, which can be used to effectively monitor the well and respond immediately if there is a problem.

SPSMs 100 can be used as data storage units along a drill string, collecting data from the environment of the drill string and storing the data locally. In one implementation, memory capsules may be injected into the well from the surface to gather data from the SPSMs on the drill string. The memory capsules wirelessly interface with the SPSMs on the drill string and lay the platform for downhole internet-of-Things (IoT), opening up a variety of new ways to map and visualize the downhole environment.

FIG. 21 shows an example of injecting memory capsules 800 into a well to gather data from SPSMs 100. Drilling fluid, also known as “mud”, is pumped from a mud pit 804 into drill string 120 by a pump 808. The drilling fluid from pump 808 flows through pathways in top drive 132 to enter into drill string 120. Memory capsules 800 may be disposed in the drilling fluid to be pumped into drill string 120, e.g., through a port 812 connected to top drive 132. The drilling fluid carrying memory capsules 800 will flow down drill string 120 and exit through the nozzles in drill bit 126 into the bottom of wellbore 122. The drilling fluid with memory capsules 800 will then flow up the well annulus 820 (i.e., the annulus between the wall of wellbore 122 and drill string 120), gathering data as they flow past SPSMs 100. Drilling fluid flows up well annulus 820, through an annulus in a wellhead assembly 824, to a bell nipple 828. Bell nipple 828 is a flow conduit having a side outlet that is connected to a flowline 832 that empties into a shale shaker 836 (part of a mud treatment system). Memory capsules 800 can be collected at bell nipple 828, at some point along flowline 832, or at shale shaker 836. After collecting memory capsules 800 at the surface, the data stored in memory capsules 800 can be downloaded. After downloading the data, memory capsules 800 can be returned to the well to collect more data from SPSMs 100. An alternative to pumping memory capsules 800 through drill string 120 is to pump memory capsules 800 down well annulus 820 from the surface. For example, memory capsules 800 may be suspended in drilling fluid, and a tubing (not shown) may be inserted into well annulus 820 to pump the drilling fluid and memory capsules into well annulus 820 for data gathering purposes. The returning drilling fluid in well annulus 820 will push memory capsules 800 back to the surface, where they can be collected for data downloading.

Referring to FIG. 22, each memory capsule 800 may include modules such as a microcontroller 844, a transceiver 848, and a rechargeable power source 852. These modules may be manufactured on the same substrate to form a system-on-chip package. The package can be made very small using techniques such as segmenting and stacking of modules and interconnection of the modules with short signal paths known as through-chip via or through-silicon via. These techniques allow the same chip area to be used for all the different modules without compromises in material selection, resulting in seamless interlayer communication for interoperability of diverse modules. Transceiver 848 allows memory capsule 800 to communicate with SPSM 100. Rechargeable power source 852 provides power to microcontroller 844 and transceiver 848. Rechargeable power source 852 may be a capacitor-based energy storage, such as a supercapacitor. Microcontroller 844 includes a processor, memory, and other circuitry. Memory capsule 800 includes a protective outer shell 840 around the electronics package. Protective shell 840 may be a container made of a material or having an exterior coated with a material that can withstand continuous exposure to the harsh downhole environment. A protective shell can be formed with chemical coatings such as polymers and/or epoxy, resin-based materials, or any material that can withstand continuous exposure to the harsh downhole environment. Memory capsule 800 is shown as having a spherical shape. However, memory capsule 800 is not limited to this shape. Memory capsule 800 could have an oblong shape or cube shape, for example. In cases where memory capsule 800 may need to exit through a nozzle in a drill bit, capsule 800 may be sized to pass through the nozzle of the drill bit. In some cases, capsule 800 may be flexible so that it can be squeezed through the passage of the nozzle. This may allow memory capsule 800 to be slightly larger than the passage diameter of the nozzle. Memory capsule 800 has low power requirements since it only contains a transceiver, a microcontroller, and a rechargeable power storage, making capsule 800 suitable for IoT platforms. The power storage can be recharged using energies harvested by the capsule from flowing with the drilling fluid. For example, memory capsule 800 could include a small turbine to harvest energy.

In general, the amount of stored data in a SPSM 100 that can be transferred to a mobile memory capsule 800 is limited. In this case, SPSM 100 can use processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture. In PIM, large volumes of data is computed, analyzed, and turned into information and real-time insights by bringing computation closer to the data, instead of moving the data across to the CPU. This way, the data needed to be transferred from a SPSM to a memory capsule could be largely reduced along with the required power for data transmission. The data from the different sensors in SPSM 100 may be stored in the SPSM memory separated by unique headers that identify the source of the sensor data. Not all the sensor data has to be transferred to the memory capsule. Instead, a snapshot of the data, such as maximum, minimum, average values or anomalies that would still provide valuable data to the driller at the surface, may be transferred. The data in the memory capsules can be static random-access memory (SRAM), where the data will remain as long as the capsules are powered. They can be integrated on-chip as random access memory (RAM) or cache memory in microcontrollers, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICS), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or Complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs).

For the purpose of data gathering by the memory capsules, the transceivers in SPSMs 100 preferably support short-range wireless data transfer with ultra-low latency and ultra-low power requirements. Some methods include ultra-wideband (UWB) communication with short pulses rather than carrier frequencies. The electric and/or magnetic dipole antennas are also optimized for ultra-low latency and ultra-low power data transfer. Examples include, wide-band microstrip, wide-band monopole antenna over a plate, wide-slot UWB antenna, stacked patch UWB antenna, taper slot (TSA) UWB antenna, elliptical printed monopole UWB antenna, metamaterial (MTM) structure UWB antennas, and dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs).

Prior to data transfer from SPSMs 100 to memory capsules 800, a command may be sent from the surface to change antennas in the array of SPSMs 100 into transmit mode to enable transfer of data from SPSMs 100 to memory capsules 800 when memory capsules 800 are flowing with drilling fluid inside the well. Alternatively, specific capsules may be deployed into the well ahead of data gathering memory capsules. The specific capsules may send commands to SPSMs 100 from inside the well to change antennas in SPSMs into transmit mode. The data gathering memory capsules can then flow past SPSMs 100 and collect data from the SPSMs. Some methods may also include ultra-fast wake up and data transfer times so that a memory capsule can send a signal to change the transceiver status of a SPSM 100 to ‘active’ from its ‘sleep’ status and then obtain data. The memory capsules ‘listen’ to the data transmission to receive and store the data in their internal memories and then travel back to the surface with the data.

Although specific embodiments, implementations, and examples have been described for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art. The teachings provided herein can be applied to other environments besides the drilling environment. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: an outer structure body having an inner surface defining a cavity; an inner structure body rotatably supported within the cavity, the inner structure body having an outer surface in opposing relation to the inner surface and having a central bore; a plurality of movable elements positioned along the inner surface and movably coupled to the outer structure body; a plurality of ball elements positioned along the outer surface and coupled to the inner structure body for movement with the inner structure body, the ball elements positioned to releasably contact the movable elements and impart motion to the movable elements in response to relative motion between the inner structure body and the outer structure body; and a plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters positioned to generate electrical charges when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters comprise a plurality of first energy harvesting elements formed of a first material and a plurality of second energy harvesting elements formed of a second material, the first material and the second material having opposed electron affinities, the first energy harvesting elements coupled to the ball elements, the second energy harvesting elements coupled to the movable elements, and wherein the first energy harvesting elements contact and slide against the second energy harvesting elements when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ball elements are constructed from the first material to provide the first energy harvesting elements or the first material is applied as a coating on the ball elements to provide the first energy harvesting elements.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the movable elements have convex surfaces for contact with the ball elements.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the movable elements are constructed from the second material to provide the second energy harvesting elements or the second material is applied as a coating on at least the convex surfaces of the movable elements to provide the second energy harvesting elements.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a plurality of grooves are formed in the outer structure body, the grooves having openings on the inner surface, and wherein the movable elements are movably disposed in the grooves.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising spring elements disposed within the grooves and arranged to apply a biasing force to the movable elements in a direction towards the inner structure body.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters comprise a plurality of first energy harvesting elements each formed of a periodic array of a first material and a second material and a plurality of second energy harvesting elements each formed of a periodic array of the first material and the second material, the first material and the second material having opposed electron affinities, wherein the first energy harvesting elements are coupled to the outer structure body, and wherein the second energy harvesting elements are coupled to the movable elements and positioned to be in sliding contact with the first energy harvesting elements when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a plurality of grooves are formed in the outer structure body, the grooves having openings on the first surface, wherein the movable elements are movably disposed in the grooves, and wherein a side wall of each groove is adjacent to a side surface of the movable element disposed in the groove.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first energy harvesting elements are disposed on the side walls of the grooves, and wherein the second energy harvesting elements are disposed on the side surfaces of the movable elements.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising springs positioned in the grooves to return the movable elements to a home position after contact between the ball elements and movable elements is released.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of triboelectric energy harvesters comprise a plurality of first energy harvesting elements formed of a first material and a plurality of second energy harvesting elements formed of a second material, the first material and the second material having opposed electron affinities, and wherein the first energy harvesting elements and the second energy harvesting elements are positioned to be separated by gaps that close when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a plurality of grooves are formed in the outer structure body, the grooves having openings on the first surface, wherein the movable elements are movably disposed in the grooves, and wherein an end wall of each groove is in opposed relation to an end surface of the movable element disposed in the groove.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first energy harvesting elements are coupled to the end walls of the grooves, and wherein the second energy harvesting elements are coupled to the end surfaces of the movable elements and positioned to contact the first energy harvesting elements when motion is imparted to the movable elements by the ball elements.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising springs positioned in the grooves to return the movable elements to a home position after contact between the ball elements and the movable elements is released.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball elements are positioned to support rotation of the inner structure body relative to the outer structure body.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a plurality of grooves are formed in the outer structure body, the grooves having openings on the first surface, wherein the movable elements are movably disposed in the grooves, wherein at least one guide channel is formed in the outer body to receive the ball elements and guide movement of the ball elements, and wherein at least a portion of the grooves intersect the at least one guide channel to enable the ball elements to releasably contact the movable elements.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer surface comprises a first outer surface portion, a second outer surface portion in opposed relation to the first outer surface portion, and a third outer surface portion connecting the first outer surface portion to the second outer surface portion, and wherein the ball elements are distributed among at least two of the outer surface portions.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a capacitor-based energy storage to store the energy from the electrical charges and at least one sensor to be powered by the energy, wherein the capacitor-based energy storage and the at least one sensor are carried by the outer structure body.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one communication device for transmitting and receiving signals, the at least one communication device carried by the outer structure body. 